Power or Performance: The Systemic Destruction of Church the Way God Intended

By Cedric R. Spearmon

Scandal, corruption, and deceit are all taking place within the house of God. Much to our dismay, the church is undeniably guilty of falling away from its original purpose. We need the breath of God to breathe life back into the body of the church. In order to help revive it, we need pastors who have the heart of God, who will not flinch when the world tries to impose itself on the church, and who will do church the way God intended and not bow to the ideology, concepts, or influence of the world.

Power or Performance highlights many controversial subjects that the church has chosen to ignore or disregard. The church has a central figure in the person of Jesus Christ, a governing authority in the deity of God, and a book of canonized scripture called the Bible. The church cannot take it upon herself to make up the rules as she goes. Author Cedric R. Spearmon explores topics that expose the unethical behavior, corruption, deceit, and egregious acts perpetrated by those who call themselves Christians. He then exhorts the church to take a hard look in the mirror, examine, and return to the form God ordered and intended.

Offering a call to action, this study calls attention to problems within the Christian church and exhorts the body of Christ to awaken to its sense of spiritual responsibility.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664220508

Cedric R. Spearmon

Cedric R. Spearmon has served for more than twenty-three years in leadership roles in various churches of eastern North Carolina. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he and his wife founded Acts II Ministries in 2019. He is also the author of Be Peculiar Not Familiar and A Message for You and Hope for Somebody Else.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-2051-5 (sc)

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-2050-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021901075

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/30/2021

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962,

1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used with permission.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used

by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois

60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living

Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,

New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale

House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers,

Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®.

Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by

permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Scripture quotations marked CJB are from The Complete Jewish Bible © 1998

by Messianic Jewish Publishers and Resources. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,

2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International

Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cookie, you are the love of my life, the apple of my eye. You are truly

a gift like no other, a virtuous woman whose price is far above rubies.

I love you.

In Loving Memory

This work is

dedicated to the memory of my dear mother, Loretta H.

Spearmon. Your love, labor, and sacrifice will always be remembered.

Your presence is missed, but the spirit of your memory lives on.

December 2, 1958–July 31, 1994

To my dad Eron L. Spearmon thank you for being an

outstanding example. You were my role model; the man I most

admired, the man who taught me how to be a man. Thank you

for sharing the Gospel with me and introducing me to Jesus

Christ. Oh, how I wish for one more Sunday conversation.

September 16, 1949–November 15, 2015

CONTENTS

Introduction

Part 1: Lights, Camera, Action

•   The Presence of an Absent Leader

•   Compromise: The Seed of Conflict

•   The Problem with Passive Pastors

•   We Are Not Identical Twins

•   The Church’s Identity Crisis

Part 2: The Glory Is Gone

•   The Light’s on, but Nobody’s Home

•   All Bark and No Bite

•   Set: How the Church Came up Short

•   Too Much of a Good Thing

•   Service without the Savior

Part 3: The Arrogant Apostate

•   The Snake Charmer

•   Bewitched: The Rise of Jezebel

•   The Apostates’ Rebellion

•   Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

•   The Preacher’s Poison

Part 4: Corrupt Church Culture

•   The Church’s Cataracts

•   The Spiritual Decay of Christian Culture

•   Culture or Christ; Murderer or Messiah

•   The Preaching Pedophile (Exposing the Pulpit Predator)

•   Conduct Unbecoming

Part 5: Milk or Meat?

•   From the Cradle to Christianity

•   Tough to Chew and Hard to Swallow

•   Toys R Us Kids

•   I’m Starving: Developing an Appetite for the Word of God

•   The Man in the Mirror

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

W hen you look in the mirror, what you should see is a distinctly clear image of every physical attribute you possess. Every perfection and imperfection should be visibly noticeable. Every intricate detail should be clearly transparent; leaving no doubt in the mind of the viewer that the image reflected in the mirror is in fact the image of something true and real. Though we may cosmetically alter and shift our appearance, we cannot escape the truth of who we really are. Clothing and cosmetics aid and abet us by presenting us with a different view, but underneath the mask of physical substitution is the undeniable truth of our flawed appearance. The mirror exposes our reality; it is distinctively designed to confront us with the realization of our own fallibility.

Though the mirror has the power to expose, it is powerless to reveal. In other words, one can make a conscientious decision to expose oneself physically while inwardly maintaining the secret of who and what one really is. The mirror thereby receives accolades for its ability to expose the physical but accusations for its inability to reveal the destructive flaws embedded in our character. In other words, the mirror depicts the physical manifestation of what we are supposed to look like, but sometimes what we look like does not line up with the person we really are. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that what is seen with the physical eye is not nearly as dangerous as what is masked beneath our physical pulchritude.

When what we look like does not align itself with who we really are, we become deceptive in nature. Through this form of deception, we convince others that we are who we really are not. If unchecked, this deception quickly morphs into manipulation. Manipulation when it is finished produces disastrous results. Jacob was a deceiver who twice succeeded in manipulating his brother Esau. Not only did he deceive and manipulate Esau, but he also deceived and manipulated his father, Isaac. The two morphed into one create a volatile mixture from which pharisaic individuals are conceived and birthed. Consequently, it is our ability to deceive that nurtures our proclivity to be manipulating. As a result, we are not the true reflection of what the mirror dictates; we are hypocritical distorters of truth and perception.

Years ago, some friends and I gathered on an outdoor court to play a game of pickup basketball. As we were in the process of selecting teams, a young man could be seen approaching the court. He was wearing a jersey with matching shorts, he had on a fresh pair of Nike basketball shoes, and he wore wristbands and headbands. From his outward appearance, you would get the impression that his game would match his look. Because he had the appearance of a ballplayer, he was quickly selected by the opposing team. However, during the process of the game, it became apparent that he was devoid of every talent, skill, and ability needed to play the game competitively. We had been deceived and manipulated; what we perceived as a basketball player was in truth the work of an imposter.

Much to our dismay, the church is undeniably guilty of looking like what it no longer is. If we were to stand trial in the court of public opinion, the jury would not have to deliberate long before returning a guilty verdict. As the church (the body of Christ), we have been accused of looking, operating, and sounding like what we have been revealed not to be. While the mirror has so readily exposed our physical nature, time has uncovered our egregiously flawed character. What we were once able to keep hidden has now been revealed. What was once seen in the mirror as an image of holiness has been revealed as hypocrisy. What appeared in the mirror as a calling has been revealed to be corruption. What was to be a symbol of the miraculous has been revealed to be nothing more than manipulation.

With these atrocities, the church has lost its power. Without the power of God, the church is dead, a lifeless body in need of resuscitation and spiritual CPR. We need the breath of God gathered from the four winds to breathe life back into this deceased body called the church. In order to help revive the church, we need pastors who have the heart of God. Pastors who will not flinch when the world tries to impose itself on the church. Pastors who will do church the way God intended and not bow to the ideology, concepts, or influence of the world. The reason we have experienced such a cataclysmic shift in the church is because we have not been honest with ourselves. We keep looking in the mirror, attempting to convince the world of what we look like, but we shy away from the very essence that makes us who we are. Subsequently, the world does not trust us because what they have seen is not equal to what has been revealed.

When our appearance does not line up with the reality of who we are, we lose the power to be effective. When we lose the power to be effective, we must substitute with performance. A performance is designed specifically to keep you entertained; however, it is not designed to transform you. Therefore, many churchgoers enter and leave the worship experience with the same debilitating issues that have troubled them throughout their entire relationship with God. Powerless churches produce powerless Christians. Powerless Christians are ineffective. We need God’s power in order to effectively produce change. A performance will entertain you, but only the power of God can change you. We need churches that will not conform; we need pastors and church leaders who will stand with God and not worry about trying to fit in with man.

The church is supposed to be the example that the world looks to for wisdom, guidance, and instruction. The world should look at our example and see Christ. When that does not happen, they will look to other sources of fulfillment outside the realm of God and his will for humanity. When we look like the world, confusion sets in, creating conflict within the mind and heart of those who would have otherwise believed. The world will not change if all they are accustomed to seeing is themselves in us. There should be a distinct difference between what the church looks and acts like versus what the world looks and acts like. When those lines are not clearly drawn and defined, one cannot tell the difference. We do God a disservice when we repeatedly fail to be what we profess. The church does not need any more performers, entertainers, and leaders who are high-profile but powerless. The needs the undeniable, undisputed, unprecedented power of the living God.

Within our church services, we do not need live performances; we need the quickening power of God. We need the church to be inside what it looks like from the outward appearance. If we fail in doing so, then we are guilty of one of the greatest human deceptions: hypocrisy. We cannot call for a world to be changed when we ourselves have not experienced the transforming power of God. We do not need any hocus-pocus, abracadabras, gimmicks, or sideshow antics. We do not need another Sunday morning performance; what we need is the authentic, omnipotent power of God. We need power, not performance. The church needs to take a hard look in the mirror, examine itself, and return to the form God ordered and intended. We are not of the world! We are the church, not only in appearance but also in word and deed.

Part 1

LIGHTS, CAMERA,

ACTION

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For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine

and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but

wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they

will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another,

chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,

and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into

myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].

—2 Timothy 4:3–4 (AMP)

R eady on the set. Lights, camera, action! These terms are synonymous with the film industry. During the making of any film, the scene must be set, all the actors must be in place, and the cameras must be ready to roll. All this verbiage can be heard in production studios and on movie sets across the country. We expect this type of communication in relation to films.

However, we do not expect to hear it uttered in the sanctuaries where our congregations gather for worship. The sanctuary is a holy place. It is the place where the spirit of God dwells—the place where his power is resolute. But this is no longer the case. We have witnessed a gradual shifting in our churches. The church has long abandoned its given identity as the house of prayer and has literally become the house of anything goes. The church is not what it used to be. How can a place so holy become so corrupt? God is not pleased. It is the intent of this work to expose all the church has allowed itself to become involved in that goes against the order of God.

No longer are our churches places of worship where God is revered and respected—they have now become centers of entertainment. The church has become a spectacle, and no one seems to be standing in defense of it. The church is mocked in movies, television series, and other forms of entertainment. The power of God is mocked and often used as the target of a comedic punch line. The church today is considered a joke, a laughingstock never to be taken seriously because the consensus believes that the power of God is not real.

The reason they do not believe the power of God is real is because we Christians have not been real. As did the children of Israel, we have allowed an anything-goes mentality, and it has severely crippled the church. When Jesus entered the temple, he walked into a cesspool of sin (Matthew 21:12–13). Consequently, everyone involved in the sinful behavior was thrown out, culminating with the statement My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Jesus sets the standard. Where there is no standard, anything goes.

With that said, you will never again need to purchase tickets to a movie, concert, or sporting event. Just show up at the church, and you can indulge in any form of entertainment you choose. If you were going to a movie, you would have the option of selecting from a variety of films—including but not limited to drama, comedy, romantic comedy, horror, action, science fiction, or children’s. Just as you would at the movie theater, when you show up at the church, there will be various forms of entertainment for you to choose from.

All of this is possible because we have given what is holy to the dogs. The church has given up its authority, selling its soul for popularity, prosperity, and prominence. Our churches are now full of flamboyant entertainers, celebrities, and reality stars—not worshippers. Subsequently, many show up to the house of God on Sunday mornings and get a live-entertainment experience but leave the sanctuary without having experienced a life-changing encounter with God.

It is a genuine encounter with God that changes and transforms lives. Sadly, most people will not get to experience this life-changing encounter as Saul did while traveling the Damascus road. Our churches are no longer equipped to usher individuals into these types of experiences. This is all because the church would rather entertain you than operate with God’s power. Entertaining does not transform lives; it simply acts as a stimulant. It makes the people feel good for a moment, but when the effects of the service begin to diminish, the people rapidly return to the reality of a broken and defeated life (the depressant). Scripture teaches that God is a spirit, and they who chose to worship him must do so in his spirit and in his truth. When we attempt to worship God without his spirit being present, we create a cultic environment that negates the move of God.

The church, like the entertainment industry, is concerned with ratings. The higher the ratings, the higher the revenue. Our church services have adopted this culture. Everything the church does is not God inspired but entertainment inspired. We live in an age driven by entertainment. Movies, plays, concerts, social media, cell phones—all has consumed the hearts and the minds of humanity. Not only has it corrupted secular society, but it has now infiltrated and infected the body of Christ. Where we used to hold the line, now any and everything goes, even if it means the spiritual and moral decay of the church at large. Entertainment is a rapist. It is a violator of God’s power and authority. It steals the innocence of the people by victimizing them through the false perception of worship.

The entertainment industry is a selfish industry because most of the attention is centered round one individual. The star of the show, the star of the film, the star of the game. Likewise, in our churches, the focus and attention are not on God getting glory. As a matter of fact, God is nothing more than an afterthought. It is no longer about him because we have made it all about us. We have pickpocketed God’s glory, stealing it for ourselves. In a pickpocketing scenario, the victim in most cases is not even aware they have become a victim until well after the crime has already been committed.

The church has attempted to be subtle in its attempt to rob God as if he were unsuspecting and unaware. The reason we have stolen God’s glory is simply because we want it for ourselves. We want glamour but not God’s glory. We want popularity but not God’s presence. We want accolades but not God’s anointing. We want thrills but not God’s truth. And we want position but not God’s power.

The entertainment industry is a moneymaking industry. When people think entertainment, they think money. For this reason, many people travel to various parts of the country attempting to make it big in the entertainment industry. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Hollywood are flooded with individuals trying to make it big in show business. We have witnessed this mentality slowly infiltrate our churches.

Our pastors now want to be reality television stars instead of spiritual leaders within the body of Christ. They crave the spotlight, the attention of the crowd, and the flow of revenue. In recent years, we witnessed six preachers—Clarence McClendon, Ron Gibson, Noel Jones, Dietrick Haddon, Wayne Chaney, and Jay Haizlip—participate in a religious drama reality television series titled Preachers of L.A., which aired on Oxygen spanning just two seasons. And three of them were bishops.

For many, pastoring has become a hustle; it is all about making money. Entertainment attracts money. These corrupt pastors and church leaders know this, and for this reason, they have allowed all types of ungodly behavior to take place right in the house of God. Many have adopted the mindset of rapper DJ Quik, who in 1995 released a song whose lyrics state, If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense.

For pastors who like to entertain, it must make dollars; otherwise, it makes no sense to them. Those dollars are needed to fund their lavish, high-profile lifestyles. Even if it means compromising the eternal destination of the souls that they have been entrusted, they will do it with no regret all to make a buck. A young man by the name of Joshua Holmes, who claims to be Jesus in the flesh, has made money by making a mockery of God’s word. He wears colored contacts, adorns himself in clothing similar to what Michael Jackson